I've got Friends in all the Right Places
by Daughter of the Bomb
Summary: Origin's Victor: Two and a half years after X3 and Rogue's begining to wonder where Logan ran off to, and so is someone else. Will working together be good or bad?
1. Two and a Half Years

It's been two and a half years.

Two and a half fucking years since Jean's death.

Two and a half fucking years since I got the 'cure'.

Two and a half fucking years since anyone's heard of Logan.

Two and a half fucking years since I left the X-Men.

And became 'normal'.

Which is what I wanted.

Right?

_Fuck no._

You know the saying '_you only want what you can't have_'?

Believe me, it's the truth.

I'm finally able to have my own little life out of everything else and I can make skin to skin contact;

hug close friends,

hold sobbing children,

kiss boys,

all that jazz.

But goddamn it I'd fucking kill to have my soul sucking powers back.

I feel empty without them.

Let me correct that:

I _felt_ empty without them.

I can feel them pulling under my skin as they toss and turn and rage at the idea that they've been controlled, and behind them all the voices and thoughts and ideas of everyone I've absorbed before they stuck that needle in my skin and killed off my powers.

It's just like it used to be.

Like how it used to be two and a half years ago.


	2. What We Want

"Hello and welcome to Happy Burger, what can I get you?"

I can't believe I work here.

If any members of the X-Men ever saw me in my waitress outfit asking them that well rehearsed question I'd shoot a bullet through my brain. Although it was different when I met Magneto here once; he wasn't scary and intimidating or preaching about how 'the human race will kill all mutants' like he used to, he was just a bent up little old man with kind words and a nose that looked like a pear who wanted a baked potato and gave a generous tip and made nice small talk. Just a sweet old man.

"I'd like an order of ribs and a cold ice tea."

"What flavor tea?"

"Hm, surprise me."

This guy is not 'just a sweet old man'.

Worn trench coat, old black tank top with many small holes, a large row of army tags hang loose from his neck, beaten dark blue jeans, untamed brown hair that sticks to his skull from sweat that's been on him before he came here, unshaven but resistant mutton chops just begun to bud across his jaw line, sincere eye brows atop an animal's eyes, and when he smiles I see sharp canine like incisors that could combat a lions.

He notices me eying his dog tags openly smiles at me as if to show off fangs and he leans forward closer to me as his right hand grabs his tags and pull them up to show me.

"That's impressive." I murmur as if to myself and I'm slightly awed when he responds.

"You've got no idea what I had to go through to get these."

"I bet I don't… You remind me a little of a good friend of mine that was involved in the army."

"Is he still?"

"Not that I know of, he ran off to Canada two and a half years ago and I haven't heard of him since."

"Doesn't sound to me like a 'good friend'. To leave you all by your lonesome with no one to protect you, or confide in and save you when times get tough." He catches me off track and makes my eye brows furrow in confusion of his knowledge of my life. The training from the X-Men is hitching up in my brain as I think of all the ways this could turn ugly and narrow ways I could get out, but when every fiber of my being is telling me to run away from this man every other fiber is telling me to stay.

"Times are tough now, aren't they Marie?"

"I-I I'll be right back with your order." And like that I scurry off. And I'm not right back with his order, if anything I delay for as long as I can and wait in fear as his ribs are being cooked.

I don't know if I can go back.

Life's a bitch and it won't let still waters calm down.

I've gotten my life together.

I have my own apartment.

I've just turned twenty one.

I have a job.

Something's been missing and I know who it is but I have no idea where he is and if there's a way I can get him back, and I know I should be out there looking for him and I would but I don't know where to start.

Well that's a lie.

I do know where to start I just don't know how to even start that.

Canada.

He's in Canada.

How would I look for him there?

It's not like he ran off while I was shopping for groceries and was still in the same building. He's not even in the same fucking country let alone same building.

And I know he won't come running when I call his name.

I've tried it before.

Damn I sound pathetic.

God, look at me.

My eyes are tearing up.

I swipe at my watery eyes with the back of my hand and my knees buckle when the man's order is called out and know it's my time to shine.

Goddamn it.

My legs turn to fleshy noodles and I grab the tray with sweaty palms my fingers gripping it so tight my knuckles turn white. His beastly hazel eyes are watching me and a whisper of a smile greets me from his chapped lips. When I'm finally at his table, hidden in the back from the view of the kitchen but not the smells, the chair opposite from his own screeches back on its legs and after I lay down his food he gestures for me to sit down.

I'm such an idiot.

I sit down and subconsciously my wiry thin arms cross and I lean on the table for support; finally realizing how big this guy is compared to my small frame and chicken legs underneath my waitress dress and apron.

And there he is the man of the hour chugging down the ice tea I brought him while his eyes remain trained on me. Slamming the drink down his left hand is still wrapped around it while his right is wiping his mouth almost in a paw like fashion.

But it's his left hand my eyes are watching.

His finger nails are of an inhuman length and yellow like the teeth of a rat.

He sees where I'm looking and I feel him smirk as the nails, or claws, grow by the meters before my eyes around the glass until they are nearing the length of three inches before he decides to let them stop. Then his hand moves away from gripping his tea and places themselves down by his side but within a foot of my crossed arms and drum them against the stained wood of the table making out a barely recognizable tune to 'Glory, Glory, Hallelujah'.

"You're a mutant."

"Yes I am, and you are too, Rogue."

"But… I took the cure… I'm human now…"

His smile widens.

"Only for now kiddie, once a mutant always a mutant, sorry but it doesn't matter if you like it or not that's the way shit is."

"And quit pretending you don't feel it in your blood." His head cocked to the side as my eyes flew from his claws to his smug face.

It irks me how much he knew about me when I didn't even know his name.

"What do you want?" The words came out cold as I looked away from him and back to the table. I need to know this or else I think I'm going to have to stop by a bar later tonight to pretend I never met this animal like stranger.

"I want what you want."

"And what do we want?"

"Logan back."


	3. Is the Same

It's another hour and a half before I get off my shift and when I do walk out the door and into the night air in ripped up skinny jeans with navy green tank top and old black sweat shirt with gray converse on my feet.

And just like I knew he would be, the man's waiting for me.

"Took ya long enough." _Well hello to you too_.

We walk a bit in comforting silence until I can't help but ask him the one question that I was never able to answer on my own.

"How are we gunna get Logan back?"

"Believe me, little girl, leave that to me."

"I'm _not_ a little _girl_ y'know." I huff.

"Sure you ain't."

"I'm twenty one for your information."

"And I'm one hundred and sixty three, what's your point?"

"Wait, _what?_"

"Nothin, never mind that."

"Um, okay." We lapse into silence again and although I have millions of questions twirling in a whirl pool, I refuse to ask him for fear of pissing him off and making him resent having ever took a step in the door of the 'Happy Burger'.

The streets are a mix of deep canvas blue and liquid yellow as black shadows cling to everything not bathed in self illuminated gold. It's oddly quiet and at any other time I would have been unnerved and paranoid about being mugged or raped or both but with the man from the restaurant by my side I feel much safer. His scent is purely him and isn't polluted by cheap cologne or anything else of that nature, including deodorant. And on anyone else I would have been completely taken back, but it makes him feel so natural. He's an animal and I don't have to know him to feel it. It's like he's been in the forest for years and then suddenly decided to come to the city, and although in a sense that would mean he was out of his natural element he is still so utterly in control of this one. He smells of a self serving bad attitude with murmurs of good in him. I can see what others would find attractive in him. He's nothing most people have ever seen, rough around the edges, splinters on wood that if you're not careful will cut you deep.

But unlike others I have seen someone like him before.

This man reminds me of Logan.

Before I know it we're outside my small apartment complex and he has stopped in front of the stairs that lead to my impermanent home. I walk up a few steps before realizing he stopped and look down at him and into light mud and grass eyes.

"We'll be leaving soon so hurry up and pack your stuff and I'll bring my pick up out front."

"We're leaving..?" Since when?

"Yeah, Jimmy's been gone far too long and it's time to get him. If you're ready."

"I'm not ready."

"I know you're not, so go get your stuff."

"_I'm not ready._ I-I can't just leave… Not yet…"

"What's holding you back?"

"I don't know."

"Marie, look at me. I'm not gunna stand by forever and just fucking wait for you until you decide to get your ass in gear, you're either in this with me or you're not."

"I-I-… I need to think… It's so fast… I don't even know you're fucking name." His face which had just been a foot in front of min suddenly vanishes as he walks away from me with anger in his step. I'm watching him as he leaves me just like Logan did and I'll be left with only my own arms to hold me like I was before. Suddenly he stops and looks at me square in the face and the animal lurks in his eyes watching me.

"Victor Creed.

My name's Victor Creed.

And don't even dream about this being the last time you see me.

I'll be back and you're coming with or without your consent."


	4. Answer

It's been two weeks since I've seen Victor.

So here I am trying on clothes and shopping with my X-Men friends Jubilee and Kitty.

I haven't told anyone.

Not a soul.

I know I should tell someone, but for some odd reason; I just _can't_.

None of this makes sense.

Actually, worse, it does make sense.

Here I am standing in my bra and underwear frozen in the changing room; asking so many questions that I unfortunately have the answers to but I don't even understand those answers and I can't even begin to form questions to those answers.

Damn it.

But most importantly:

What is one good reason that I should trust Creed?

I don't have time to think about all this crazy shit.

Actually, I do have time to think about this.

That's part of the problem; I have too much time to think.

Goddamn it.

So I need to take a couple steps back and concentrate on how Logan might've handled my situation.

Logan would have left with Creed the second he offered.

Goddamn it.

But then again Logan would be able to defend himself against a guy like Creed and has that ever so convenient healing ability and the inability to die. And Logan would know how to escape from a Canadian mob ring of pissed off marshmallow huffing leprechauns with cat robots and save himself from getting raped by sleaze bag unicorns; which, with my luck, Creed is all affiliated with. All these things, I cannot do.

Okay, what would a member of the X-Men do?

Tell all the other X-Men what's going on and form their own Logan save and rescue squad.

Goddamn it.

Okay, all things considered:

What would I do?

No fucking idea.

I am so beyond screwed.

"Hey Roguey poo, I gotta sexy black dress out here with your name on it!"

"Be right there Jubes."

Quickly, I slip back into my own clothes and try to fix my flustered brown hair with static white stripes and try to make myself forget my problems and try to have fun.

Which is beginning to look impossible at this point.

Why do I even try?

"Hurry Roguey, or else we might just ditch cha'." As Kitty's voice meets my ears as her and Jubilee erupt into a fit of way too happy laughter and I rush myself to get ready as fast as I can without looking as bad as I feel. Slamming the door open my eyes meet a rather slinky black cock tail dress that looks like one of James Bond's girls would wear, but no friends can be seen. But that doesn't mean they cannot be found. Running out I bring the dress with me along with the purple sweater I had been trying on.

"Hey, miss, you gotta pay for those." A teenager just a little younger than me looks at me in amused shock as I rush over freeing a fifty from my wallet.

"You know miss, every formal dress is half price with the purchase of some of our new lingerie." I make a bee line of the shelves of intimate accessories and quietly ponder what a world we live in and grab a provocative forest green lacy thing and slam it on the counter.

"Okay, that'll be about seventy five bucks." Pale fingers file through hidden pockets in my wallet until I find a ten and a five and slide them over to the casher boy, whose eyes are roaming me probably imagining me in the outfit I just added to my purchase.

"Thank you and have a nice day."

"Thanks, you too." And I'm out of the store hair whipping me as my head turns back and forth looking for my friends, who still cannot be seen and are probably half way through the mall by now. I choose a random direction and start walking.

Suddenly the plastic handle on my shopping bag breaks leaving my clothes falling to the ground and right in the eye of the public. My face blushes with red embarrassment and my hands scamper to pick it up. I grab for the green lingerie but before my hand can even touch its material someone else is holding it up before me.

"_Damn girl_, I sure as hell would just_ love_ to see _you_ in _this_, sweet heart."

Fuck.

It's Victor.

Golden eyes meet mine and instinct hitches in my blood as I turn away without a single syllable on my pink lips and run as fast and as far away from him as I can, but even then I can still hear his laugh as he gives chase after his prey.

A martini of adrenalin breaks into my heart loud and clear and makes it beat with fright as my once trained legs move one in front of the other in a cycle of trying to catch up with its partner, but like a fish out of water I'll never be able to get away in time. Eyes wide and skin paled in desperation I shove people out of my way to get away; ignoring curses and swears I know that in a way I am only preparing them for the man after me as I know that instead of pushing them away he'll squish them under his boot. I am far enough to through a glance over my shoulder and I see him smirking at me with the devil in his eye and I can feel him purr with satisfaction at my pathetic ways of escape. Out of nowhere someone grabs my shoulder and whirls me around to meet them.

"Rogue, man alive I never knew you could run that fast! You should seriously consider doing track." Kitty compliment's don't meet my ears and I'm looking back for Creed, searching desperately until I know I won't find him although I can sense him, even smell him from here.

"Hey, something wrong Rogue? You're shaking."Jubes concerned tone drips with curiosity about what's going on, as well as on Kitty's face but I know for the life the life I can't tell them if they want to live to see another night.

"Naw, I'm fine. Just… Not feeling so great." I lie through clenched teeth and look them in the eyes trying to persuade to them my urgency for them to leave.

"Oh man, do you wanna go home? 'Cuz me and Kitty were just talking about exams we gotta cram for tomorrow."

"If you guys wanta go home its okay, I'll hitch a ride from the city bus or something." I can tell they want to leave and that I've killed their shopping buzz, and truly I'm okay with it. I've got things to sort out and I'd feel better if I was alone anyhow.

Not to mention if I refuse Creed's offer again:

_I don't want to think about the thing's he'd do to them._

"Rogue, are you sure?"

"Yeah, yeah I am Jubes. It's okay… I know how to take care of myself."

"Man, if you say so. Call us if anything happens.

"See ya girl."

"See ya." We all hug and I squeeze them tight feeling like its gunna be the last time I see them. Before I know it they're gone and I'm all alone with a million different thoughts going through my head in a million different directions.

But one thought makes itself known:

_Where the fuck is Creed?_

I start walking in the opposite direction of Kitty and Jubilee hoping that Creed will follow me and not them. I look at stores without seeing them, weave in and out of crowds without moving, and think without progress for many minutes I'll never get back.

It all comes down to this.

Already I'm starting to wish I'd never met Victor. Wish I'd never joined the X-Men. Wish I'd never made friends there. Wish I'd never met Logan. Wish I'd never run away to Canada five years ago. Wish my powers hadn't manifested when I wasn't ready. Wish I'd never had powers in the first place.

But in my head I know it's all a pack full of lies. I'm thankful for every fucking thing I've ever experienced when I look back at it.

Sure, some, if not most, was full of shit; but still, that's life.

Shit happens.

Always has always will.

That's just the way it is.

And the way it always will be.

But now it's time for my shit to happen.

I think I'm ready.

I think I'm ready to find Logan.

Even if it means going with Victor.

Goddamn it.

I'm beyond screwed.

"I'll be damned Marie, you're even wearing the runt's shirt."

I look down at myself before looking at him, scared to meet his eyes though I'm certain of what I'll find there. He is right; I'm wearing Logan's red, green, and yellow plaid button up shirt over a long sleeve white shirt with skinny jeans and red converse.

"Looks like I am." My eyes look at anything but him and he circles side to side right where my vision ends so he isn't in the corner of my eye for longer than a second. I sense him stop directly behind my left shoulder and barely in my line of sight; roughly he grabs the cotton material of Logan's shirt and brings his unshaven face down to smell it and thus bringing me with it.

We get weird looks from fellow shoppers.

"Uh, whatta ya doing?"

"Hm, nothing."

"Uhhh, out of shear curiosity; how do I smell?" He chuckles at this as his chest buckles under his trench coat.

"Like wild flowers."

"Hmm." He moves until he's in front of me and his eyes like pools of rotten honey and small dilated specks of coal submersed in it greet me in a curious cat like fashion; lips smiling and parted slightly and I can see his sharp teeth poking out, oddly longer than usual. His hand is still on my shoulder and his hand tightens ever so slightly and he's pulling me towards one of the many exits in this mall. He looks ov er his shoulder to look at me and murmurs in a victory croon:

"Caught 'cha."

I didn't even try to fight.

I'm not paying any attention until we're outside and I realize just how cold it's become and folding my arms I question him without using my mouth and stare at his back while he lets go of my shoulder. It's like this for a while until he turns to me and lights a cigarette, never looking at me or offering. I'm watching the rosy glow of the ambers when he pulls it away from his mouth.

"Ever run in the cold of the night but never been so warm in your life?"

"Yeah. Once." He doesn't look me in the eye but his silence seems to beckon me on.

"Five years ago on the night I ran away from my parent's house in Missouri. Had only a big green coat and a beat up brown back pack with seventy five bucks in my back pocket."

"Where were you going?" I laugh at little and his eyes search my face.

"Canada." He laughs and it makes his throat rumble.

"Why Canada?" My eyes look into his and I feel like its mission accomplished getting him to laugh.

"Dunno why. I remember once I visited when I was really little with my dad on a work trip, and it just…Felt so nice like-."

"Like it was home?" He's serious and searching for something deep inside me; searching for an answer to a question. He looks away not finding his answer and faces the dark parking lot, already pushing me away. I try to make him look at me and keep on looking for the answer in my forest green eyes but as hard as I try to he just won't.

"You coming or not, sweetheart?"

"I'm coming."


	5. Blackmail and Reasons

"Bout time." He looks to me and begins walking off to the parking lot where I can only assume he has parked his car. He doesn't even bother gesturing for me to follow knowing that if we have to work together to hunt down Logan I'll follow him towards the end of the earth and fight alongside him tooth and nail. But that doesn't mean I'm _not_ going to bitch about it.

"Excuse me for actually thinking a bit before I decide to take a road trip with a lumberjack who's a little too trigger happy."

"That's not nice."

"Uhh… Um? Sorry?"

"I'm not a lumberjack; I'm an assassin."

"Great, even better." He puffs air through his nose and opens up the passenger to a tall dented nineteen ninety three ford with an extra cab long bed in the loading deck. My eyes skim along her aged body that has surely been through hell and worse being owned by the hard driven Creed, but it's only made her stronger the harder he pushes her.

"Whatta ya think?"

"She's nice." He's smiling in pride like a husband showing off his trophy wife.

"Back here," His right arm slaps the side of the cab window but I can tell he held back from hitting her too hard. "I put in a mattress 'cause you ever get tired and yur back hurts from sittin up front." My eye brows rise.

"Thanks."

"Welcome… Now get in." And my eye brows are back to furrowed and I hop up into the seat as he closes the car door to a slam and walks around to his driver's seat, letting himself in with ease and brings her engine to life. He starts driving north and before things can start becoming unrecognizable I realize something important and gasp at how I could so easily forget.

"_Shit_."

"What?"

"What about my stuff?"

"Ah, don't worry I grabbed some stuff at your apartment before I torched it."

"Wait, _What?_ 'Torched' it? _You mean you burned down my apartment?_"

"Uh, yea."

"_You mean you burned it down!_"

"Yep."

"_WHY?_"

"Because if burning down your apartment doesn't get the runt's attention I don't know what would. If anything he'll come down from whatever the hell he's hiding and check out what happened and see if you're okay."

"But… _WHY?_ _I finally get my own fucking apartment that I've been saving up for who the fuck knows how long and you just come around out of nowhere and burn it the fuck down? _You know what? Fuck this. The only reason I'm not jumping from this vehicle as we speak is because of Logan and the fact that road burn would hurt like a mother fucker. I hate you, you sick pyromaniac jackass bastard. I hate you so much it burns… My calories… An-and you know what?... To put it nicely I hope Logan castrates you." I didn't care that I was getting off on the wrong foot but seriously? Fuck that.

So yeah, I did fold my arms like a little girl and turned my back to him and stared out the window all pissed and shit.

Fuck Victor.

It's just…

Ugh.

"Worked so fucking hard for that money… Just had to get out of the X-Mansion or whatever the fuck ya call it… Shit heads kept starin at me cuz I took the cure… Some fuckin cure, right? Felt like a traitor in mah own skin the way kids looked at meh… And gawddamnit when Logan left… Only made things harder… He din leave with no warnin or any shit… Jus got up and walked 'way, left clothes an' ev'ry thing… Was so much easier wen Wolverine was 'round cuz then kids wouldn't pick on me nun… But wen he left I waz open game… People who used ta be mah friends were talkin 'hind mah back and lemme tell you what; jokes 'bout you comin from friends hurt moar then wen ther comin from enemys… I had ta get outta thar… So I work'd hard for pennies and dimes until they added up ta money an then nothing start'd ta lookin liek sumthin… Finally… An then I jus left… Liek Logan… But 'stead a' him I brought mah my things, but since no one else wud, I brought Logan's stuff to incase dey ev'r threw et out and 'e was ta come back… He nev'r did come back…" I was only murmuring and talking to myself but I know he's heard every word, and I'm choking up now and a pathetic fucking tear's sliding down my face and I feel like shit, especially in front of Creed.

"If yew ev'r regret bring meh 'long 'cuz ya think I'm sum kinda pansy shit head well den that's jus too fuckin bad 'cuz ass hole yur stuck wit meh till we finds Logan." My voice is rushed and I just want to get the fuck away from him but that wouldn't be possible without asking him to stop the car. And I don't want to talk to him directly.

"_I would never regret bringing you."_

His voice is quiet but I know I heard it.

I need to laugh.

So I do.

It catches Creed off guard and a surprised expression grazes his features and it's so foreign and looks funny as fuck on him and encourages my laughter.

"Damnit. Yur just liek Wolvie."

"'_Wolvie'_? How so?" His voice is hesitant and cautious and I just keep laughing.

"Yew can apologize compleetly in jus one sentence." One of his eye brows are slanted in a typical questioning look but I see the flicker on a smile and amusement in his cat eyes but it's drowned out by a sleet of seriousness. He looks back at the road and I'm facing the road too, no longer tucked in by the window.

"I'm gunna buy you a new apartment when this is all over." His voice is smooth and business man like and although I know my protests won't change anything I know I should at least try.

"Ah come now, you don't have too."

"I know I don't have to, but I'm gunna."

"Fine. Thanks."

"Damn right." We slip into silence and I have a feeling this is how most of our trip is going to be like. So I readjust my seatbelt and take off Logan's barrowed shirt and use it as a blanket. I close my eyes and smile slightly as I tumble into sleep with the homey smell of Logan in my head. Sleep is calling me but I have one more question for Creed.

"Victor?"

"Yeah?"

"When you said you grabbed some of my stuff, what kind of stuff did you grab?" I open my eyes to watch any sudden changes in his facial expression.

"Don't worry sweetheart, I made sure to grab yur money and credit cards and such."

"But… Like… What _kind_ of stuff?" He looks over at me and the suspicion is noted not so subtly in his hard golden eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"Like… Clothes wise." He smiles in amusement.

"You mean you're scared I let your favorite dress burn?"

"Not exactly." The amusement is wiped clean off his face and his brooding face is on but he's staring so deeply I think he's trying to see through me.

"Marie, tell me."

"Okay… Uh, think about what's _under_ the clothes." His eyes widen and I can tell he gets where I'm going and turns away from me and looks at the road.

"Yea… I got 'em." Awkward silence is awkward.

"Yea… Uh… Thanks." I'm blushing and I hate it but I'm watching him from the corner of my eye when I see his lips suddenly twist into a smile full of mischief that I know can mean nothing good.

"Wanna know what else I got?" I can't even fucking answer him. He looks at me full in the face and the trouble causing animal is dancing at his prey's lack of knowledge. One hand on the steering wheel and the other in his left pocket of his trench coat and I can only imagine him pulling the head of one of my friends out of that pocket.

"I got _this_."

And then he pulled out the one thing that was the epitome of my destruction.

That lingerie I had bought at the mall?

He still had it.

Goddamn it.

"_Give_. _It_. _Back_."

"Oh Rogue, I wouldn't bet on _that_ happening _any_ time soon. Oh no, I'm planning on using this as black mail for you to not call upon your little hero friends of those X-Men shit eaters. Got it?"

"It has been 'got'."

"And if you do manage to get a hold of them behind my back I will most definitely show all the little do good's _this_ little dark secret."

"Fine. Okay? But there's one problem."

"And that would be..?"

"The X-Men will come looking for me."

"Uh huh."

"So what are you gunna do 'bout that?"

"I'm not doing anything. _You_ are. Unless you want to find _this_ one morning on the flag pole of _their _mansion."

"Could I at least call them to let them know I'm fine?"

"If you ask nicely." _I hate this man_.

"Please."

"That'll get you nowhere girly." _I_ really _hate this man_.

"Pretty please..?"

"Beg bitch_." I hate this man so _fucking_ much_.

"Fine. I'll do any and everything that you ask me to do no matter how degrading and illegal as long as it doesn't involve drugs or me having sex with anyone or government experiments then I shall do as you command oh mighty and powerful and epic win Victor Creed. Happy now?"

"Most definitely." Damn it I would love to just wipe that fucking smirk off his face right about now. But unfortunately he can hand me my ass any day of the week so I can't, now can I? I grumble nonsense and wiggle back to my sleeping position. He's watching me from the corner of his eye and I ignore him with all my might and feel his victorious smile.

"Good night asshole formally known as Victor."

"Good night Marie."


	6. Five Days

Victor's been driving for five days straight.

Only three minute stops every once and a while and the occasional gas station raid but otherwise we've both been pissing in bushes. Yippee.

I don't understand how this guy can stay up for so long. Hell, it's probably part of his mutation or something. I remember at one point I tried to stay up with him too, but after thirty hours without sleep I passed out in mid sentence and twelve hours later woke up still tired. I _want_ to ask him how he does it but honestly I'm still scared that if I piss him off he'll rip out my appendix.

"Victor." He stays quiet with his eyes on the road. I know he's ignoring me but maybe it means he's about to break.

"I can drive if you need a break." His anger comes off of him in waves.

"You said that four hours, fifty three minutes, and thirty five seconds ago and my answer is _still_ no."

"Pull over so I can get out."

"_**You're not leaving."**_ His foot slams the gas and he's looking straight at me killing me in his mind.

"_Lettme drive Creed." _

"_**No."**_

"Victor, I'm not afraid to slam my foot through this window and jump if it comes to that. Now pull the fuck over and get in the back so you can sleep before you kill us."

"**The crash would only kill **_**you**_**."**

"_**Then that would mean you'd **__**never**__** find Wolverine until he came and **__**fucking **_**killed**_** you**__**."**_ The car stops and I slam forward against my seat belt as it tightens saving me from slamming into anything else. I back up against my seat and undo my seat belt so I can breathe from its constricting grip; my heart's beating so loud even I can hear it as it trembles violently trapped inside my rib cage.

I look over to see Victor.

And it isn't a pretty sight.

He's gripping the driving wheel so tightly and his claws are starting to come out and are sinking themselves into his own flesh and in his mind I know for certain that he's thinking up horrible situations that all involve him killing me in some sincerely disturbing way. His body is hardened to solid stone and his hair seems to stand up straight on the edge of pins and needles. He doesn't look at me and I'm thankful for it; I don't want to see the rage of the animal in his eyes.

And the animal is indeed here.

I can hear Him.

Deeper than thunder and twice as nerve wracking it ripples through his chest and lets loose a low tremble like that of an impending earth quake before chaos is set free. It bounces off the walls of my insides and awakens an instinctual fear of this predator next to me. Everything tells me to run like there's no fucking tomorrow but I know that if I do run then he'll tackle me down to the ground so hard it would surely snap my bones in half like a tooth pick.

I know he's restraining himself and I sure as fuck appreciate it.

Suddenly he rips the car door open and prowls with heavy feet to the back of the truck and throws up the door to the truck's extra cab and jumps in slamming it shut behind him; he crawls over to the little window connecting the cab and the truck and forces it open.

"Don't even _**think**_ of anythin' stupid or else yur blood 'll be on my hands. Got it _**pup**_?"

"I wouldn't even dream of it Victor."

And it's true.

And I hope he knows it.

I slide over to the driver seat and carefully close the door that he left open and put on my seat belt and it isn't long after that that I restart the engine and head down the dirt road.

I can feel his eyes as he shoots bullets in the back of my head and try to ignore it but it's difficult.

I'll just have to manage till he falls asleep.

And it's not a second sooner than an hour that I hear the old mattress sink down with a creek as he falls asleep into a comatose state. I smile slightly when I hear him snoring.

It's… kinda cute.

In a weird serial killer kind of way.

Shut up, serial killers _can_ be cute too.

Especially when Victor reminds me of a giant pissed off kitten.

I try and bite back a smile but then just forget it smile like an idiot crack addict with rainbow powers who see's invisible unicorns plagued by cannibal teddy bears who ride turd monkeys.

Fuck it. I laugh out loud into the empty car.

I dunno even know what the shit a turd money is.

I spend hours like this as my 'imagination' (damn it I think of Sponge Bob every time I think it) orchestrates moron fueled random sequences of events with absolutely no rhyme or reason and fuck its fun. It almost makes me a little sad when I spot the gas station.

Almost.

Okay, I know Victor would scrub my eyes with salsa if he caught me leaving the truck; but that's only if he catches me. Not to mention if he does find out anyway I'll grab him a cup of coffee so he won't use my skin as a welcome mat. And I gotta piss.

Hell, I'll piss quickly.

I'm practically running from the disgusting ladies room when I grab Creed his black coffee but bring buckets of cream and sugar incase that's not the way he likes it; I also grab a hello kitty blanket and matching pillow because the irony's so thick I just couldn't fucking resist, not to mention four packs of beef jerky, case of doughnuts, and some green tea flavored soda for myself. Paying for it all in the cash I had with me the day of the mall, I scram back to the car and am so very relieved to find Victor still asleep.

Thank gawd.

And then being the kind and stupid fool I am I open up the cab door where Creed's off in dream land and gently put the hello kitty pillow down beside his head and drape it's matching blanket over his shoulders and place a packet of beef jerky next to him and grab his trench coat and fold it up to put in the passenger's seat.

Feels kinda nice to take care of someone that's not me.

Makes me feel like a mom for an overgrown sadistic kitty cat.


	7. Singing

I spend the next couple of hours driving till my brain feels numb and my butt's turned to chocolate jello.

Because chocolate jello is my favorite.

I park on the side of the dirt road and do some stretches and run around a little, but always making sure I'm not even twenty five feet away from the truck. I come back to the pickup and drive a little ways more but stop when I spot a river for me to wash up in.

I park once more and jump out and strip down to my underwear making sure not a soul's around and jump in. It's cold and for fuck's sake this is Canada and I know I didn't make the smartest decision but it's been _so_ long since I've bathed and it feels great washing away the layers of grime. Sure I'm not using shampoo or conditioner or even soap but the water feels so nice and at least I _feel_ clean when I get out.

Walking back to the truck I'm freezing and soaking wet so, making sure Creed's out like a light, I run off to hide behind a tree and change underwear real quick and put on some comfy black slacks and short sleeved gray t-shirt.

And then I'm back to the driving.

Whoop-de freakin-do.

It's who the hell knows how long and I'm really starting to get lonely and it's too fucking quiet.

I think about talking to myself. But then remember that I'd have _nothing_ to talk about.

So I try the radio, and all I get is static so five minutes turning the dial later and I just forget it and turn it off.

So, I start humming.

And then humming turns to quietly singing.

Then quietly singing turns to not-so-quietly singing.

And then that somehow turns into fully narrating my drive in song.

And all of this sounds _quiet _bad.

"I see a squirrel, squirrel, squirrel; in a tree-ee-eee.

Yea I'm special, special, special; don't judge me-ee-eee.

My name's Anna Marie-eee-ee; and I'm friends, friends, friends,

With Victor Cree-eee-eed."

"What _the __**fuck**_ have _you_ been _**smoking**_?"

"'_**HO' SHIT!"**_ I just about jump out of my seat when Victor's head pokes out of the cab's window and magically appears right next to my head and I have to regain control over the wheel as I almost get us flown in a ditch.

"Did I-,"

"What the **FUCK**?"

"See, that's what I'm thinkin-,"

"YOU JUST CAME OUTTA FUCKIN NOWHERE. Ya scared the _shit_ outta me Vic."

"Did you just call me 'Vic'?" My left hand is glued to my collar bone in sudden out-of-nowhere fear that I don't even answer Victor's question and instead just park the pick up by the side of the 'road', not that you can really even call it that; I open the car door and walk to the back and open up the cab door to let Creed out and then sit down as he gets crawls over to lay down on his back next to me eating the beef jerky I left him with the hello kitty pillow held down by his head.

"I got some coffee out front for ya if you want some." I offer.

"Naw thanks, I'm good. Jerky?"

"Sure." Eventually I bunch up the pillow's matching blanket and stuff it underneath my own head and lay down, just barely able to see Victor's face as I eat the meat with appreciation.

"Hey Rogue?"

"Yea Vic?"

"Nice singing voice." I laugh and he gives a sly smile.

"Hey Victor?"

"Yea Pup?"

"We good?"

"Yea, we good."


	8. Bird

"So, are we just gunna keep drivin till you getta whiff of Wolverine?"

"Yea. Pretty much."

"Well, could we stop at the next gas station and use their phone?"

"So you can call the X-Men?"

"Yea."

"Fine, but I'll be listening."

"Okay. Man, you seem to forget that I came along by choice."

"Shut up. I just don't want _you_ telling _them_ where _we_ are. Got it?"

"Okay, fine. Gesh." And back to the silence. Victor's back to driving while I am on the other hand laying down in the cab nestled by hello kitty and my winter jacket and what's left of a packet of beef jerky. The reason I'm back here and not up front is 'cuz it's below twenty degrees and I'm sure as hell not used to it and Victor's heater is a piece of shit.

But luckily we're on one of the main roads trying to find an exit from Ontario and entering Manitoba, where we're gunna find a camp site for us both to sneak in and shower there.

I am definitely looking forward to it.

"Creed?"

"What, pup?"

"Wake me when we get there." He just grunts as if that's a good enough of an answer and I tighten my small body into a little ball trying to keep warm.

"Pup?"

"Yea?"

"Take my jacket." He pushes his folded up jacket through the little window that joins the cab and the truck and I take off the blanket so I can put the trench coat on.

"Thanks. 'Night Vic."

"Good night Marie."

Doesn't take long for me to fall asleep.

…

'Bout fucking time she fell asleep.

I take a rough right turn and try and remember where the house is, trying to remember the directions that whore gave me and end going to the last place I went to before telling her I was leaving; the supermarket.

I park for a moment to close the window where I can hear Marie's slow breathing and I although the windows shut even then I can still hear her. I pull out a pack of Marlboro and light the cancer stick with a cheap lighter I bought in nineteen ninety five. I drive in circles around the packed parking lot and try and remember which road I took. Only to roll my window down a bit to tap away my ashes that suddenly her scent forces itself in my nose.

She's been here recently.

I keep my window down ever so slightly and follow the trail and for the moment picture that bitch begging for mercy before I rip out her fucking jugulars and slit her throat leaving her to drown in her own scarlet vodka.

Can't fucking wait to feel my claws in her flesh.

Her trail stops at the old Riverview Lodge in Dryden. Her trail took me farther than I would've thought and shit I hope Rogue doesn't wake up soon. Hell, I'll make it quick.

I walk up the creaky old wooden stair case painted army green to the second story and open up the door and walk down the crappy carpeted hall way to the room where he scent lingers, as well as the cologne of some guy. Looking right and left to make sure no one sees me I smile as my right index claw extends and stabs the lock and with a few twist the door is open. I slam it so hard it hits the wall.

"Ohhh Birdy, I'm home." I sing song before stalking in and shutting the door behind me _and there she is_. Her hair bleached blonde with fake eye lashes and thick raccoon eyes of black eye liner around her frightened wide eyes, body skimpy and muscles no longer concrete with small hips and silicone boobs.

I'm seriously starting to wonder what I saw in her when I picked her up at that bar seven years ago.

"_Mr. Creed." _Her high pitched voice is afraid and I smile as her heart flops and flips in her chest as I walk over and pull up a chair in front of her spot on the bed. She's all wrapped up in bed sheets and it's pretty easy to guess her relationship with the guy wearing cologne.

"_So_, who's the guy?" I try to look interested but just give up and pull the cigarette from my mouth and flick ashes on the floor.

"Ju-just a fling, Mr. Creed."

"Won't be coming back, will he?" she shakes her fake blonde curls 'no' and I can tell she knows how this will end.

This is fucking ending with her dead.

"What time are you checking out of this place?"

"Tw-tw-two days Mr. Creed."

"Two days what, Birds?"

"Two days till I check out."

"That's more like it Birds, isn't it nice when we can _fucking_ form whole sentences?" She nods again and salt water tears are already showing up along her eyes.

"I-I-I'm-m ready t-to he-help you-u when-n ever you-ou n-need C-Creed, j-jus say th-the words, an-and I'll help y-you ta-ke away-way th-the pain."

"That's the thing Birds, I don't need any more of _your_ help.

"_Well, I __**do**_.

"I just don't_**want**_ it. See, Birdy, I've been quite fucking content with all the shit that's wrong in my skull; in fact, I don't see why I ever tried to fix it, tried to _**change**_.

"Hell, that's _another_ thing.

"See, our 'relationship', if that's what you wanta call it; is solemnly based on what _**I want**_. As in, before; _I wanted_ your help. And now; _**I don't**_. So… _What_, is keeping you around?"

"_I jus want t-to live."_

"Birds, me too.

"And _honest_ly; it's not _you_, it's _me_.

"_**But this is gunna hurt you hella've a lot more than it is me."**_ She can't even get out a scream before I tackle her onto the bed and have a claw popping her throat like a kid popping bubbles in bubble wrap. Her blue eyes are wide and I can feel her fear and as her tears fall I lick them off her face and drag her by her hair to the bathroom and bang her stupid head against the sink before slapping her temple against the corner of the marble bathroom counter. I don't have to check for a pulse as my ears tell me I'm the only one with a beating heart in the room. I open up the cabinets of the counter and shove all the cleaning crap out and fold up her little body so that it fits underneath the sink.

Satisfied, I spray some white citrus air freshener.

I make sure to check myself in the mirror to make sure that when I walk out this door someone won't call the cops.I leave the room door open by just a gap and walk out to my pickup to get the pup. Hey, I wonder if she's awake yet.

Heh, doubt it.

…

"Marie, wake up."

"Neighchughuk." The cab doors open and it's cold so I just try and bury myself in Creed's jacket and the hello kitty pillow and blanket but Victor wraps his cold hands around my ankles and pulls me forward and my feet touch the ground but my torso's still in the car.

Of course then he just grabs me 'round the waist and throws me over his muscled shoulder. Let me tell you that his muscles are _not_ comfy like a pillow.

"Hate. You. So. Much."

"You'll be thanking me later when you're warm."

"Hmm?" My eyes are still hung over from sleep so what I see I don't consider, but my ears here creaking noises and the opening of a door; and by moving past that door I feel warmth, just like Victor promised. And then Vic opens another door and we're in a hotel room where from our spot at the door he throws me and fly across the room and land on the soft bed.

"Pup, I'll be right back, just gunna get our stuff."

Hurr.

SO FUCKING COMFORTABLE.

I THINK I CAN DIE HAPPY.

Vic's back before I know it and is welcomed by the sight of me practically trying to suffocate myself with a pillow in surprise of how good it feels.

"Keep that up, pup, and you are definetly not gunna be getting enough air to yur brain." I pick my face up and look up at him.

"VICTOR I LUV YOU."

"Oops, too late."

"Does they has shower?"

"Uh, yea."

"FUCKIN LUV YOU SO MOCH."

"Yea, you've definitely killed a couple brain cells." I jump up and grab my bag that Victor packed and scurry off to the bathroom ready for my shower.

I don't even notice the blood.

Of course in the midst of shaving my hurly burly arm pits I realize that this isn't _my_ razor I'm using or _my_ shampoo that was my hair, or even _my_ soap.

I get out of the shower and see something that I certainly doubt is red paint.

And of course just have to open up the counter cabinets just to see if it's a wine bottle that fell over.

But it's not a broken _wine bottle_.

It's a chick with a broken _skull_.

I go back in the shower and finish shaving my other arm pit and _then _wrap a hotel towel around my body and open the bathroom door to see Victor sitting on the queen size pull out couch bed reading a news paper. His eyes look up to see my wet frame in the bathroom door, questions in his eyes.

"Victor?"

"Uh, yea pup?"

"There's a dead body in the bathroom."

"Um, what do want me to do about it?"

"Just thought you should know." I turn around and close the door as well as the cabinet and change into my black slacks and a some Canadian hockey shirt I bought at the last stop we were at. When I walk back out of the bathroom Victor's sitting there trying not to laugh at some joke I haven't heard.

"What're you laughin at?"

"Oh nothin Rogue, nothin." I hop into the bed and my body suddenly becomes tired and worn and aches with how long I've been in a bed room ready to sleep in a bed and not just some mattress in the back of a pickup truck.

"Night Vic."

"Good night Marie."

"Wait, Vic?"

"Yea pup?"

"You put the dead body there, didn't you?"

"Heh, yea."

"I _knew_ it!"


	9. Surprise

"You ready pup?"

"Yea. Couldn't I at least grab a waffle?"

"We don't have time."

"Fine."

Of course we only stayed one night in the hotel with the dead lady and since I was sleeping when Victor was devouring a steak and he decided it was time to go, it was time to go, with or without a full stomach.

Ass hole.

Oh fuck.

Someone's knocking on the door.

Victor takes long strides over to the door and opens it only by three inches before yelling at them something like 'We'll be checking out in a minute,' and attempts to close the door in their face.

Good news; their face wasn't in the door.

Bad news; their hand was.

Whoops.

That's gotta hurt like a bitch.

So of course Victor makes the fatal mistake of opening the door so his hand can be set free only to have the kid stumble through face all scrunched up by the pain.

"Smooth move _Creed_." My hands are on my hips and he just shoots me a glare as he helps the guy sit on the bed. I turn to look at the kid and start to realize he isn't really a kid. He's in his high school years with dark jeans and a blue winter jacket and sneakers. Not the greatest thing to wear when it's snowing outside.

"You okay?" I ask the back of his head covered in gelled black hair. He looks up at me and smiles weakly with his slight tan skin and by the amount of facial hair it's been about four days since his last shave and his deep brown eyes.

"Hurts a little."

"No wonder, your hand was slammed in the door." I take a brief glance towards Victor his haunches are clearly raised as his eyes flicker from the injured guy to me.

"Hey, uh, where's Birdy?"

"She's in a better place." Victor says before I can come up with an answer.

"Uh? Oh, you mean Wabigoon Lake? She goes there all the time. But isn't it kinda cold to be swimming? I mean she could get frost bite."

"Don't worry, she said she was just gunna walk around the lake and run a couple chores and visit some old friends and family she hasn't seen in a while."

"Oh, okay. When's she coming back?"

"Uh, I think it's safe to say it's gunna be around… Nine o'clock tonight. Or at least that's what she told us, but you never know with her, y'know?"

"Yea, I remember one time my parents asked her to pick me up from school and I had to wait _five hours_ 'cuz she was out with some guy."

"Shit. That sucks."

"Yea, it did. So, uh, if she's not gunna drive me to Winnipeg, then..?" _Better come up with something fast before Creed does…_

"Uh, she asked _us_ to drive you to Winnipeg." Victor's head snaps in my direction with surprise and anger scrawled on his face, while the high school's eyes just widen just a bit but I can tell his pleased by this.

"Sweet. Are we going now or..?"

"No. We are leaving _now_." Victor's pissed off all over again and stalks out the room leaving me with the kid as I try and keep up with him as the kid follows, his eyes watching my ass as I walk down the stairs.

"Victor? Do you want me to drive?"

"_No thanks_, _sweetheart_." Sarcasm does Victor's rough attitude some good.

And for some odd reason…

He puts his hand around my waist while we're walking out to the pickup leaving the poor kid in dust, but against my abs I feel Victor's nails extend and hear the beginning of a growl in his throat.

"Protective much?" I whisper just barely under my breath but I know Creed heard it.

"Shut it." A smile lifts the corners of my mouth a little knowing that I'm right.

Once we've reached the truck Victor pulls his arm away as I walk up to the passenger's seat and Creed opens up the door to the cab.

"Is that where I'll be sitting?"

"Yea."

"Couldn't me and her just sit up front in the same seat."

"Uh, _**no**_." The kid scrambles in on his hands and knees into the cab and next to the cab window, next to my left ear, as Creed slams it behind him.

"Does he always act like this?"

"Only around other guys."How would I ever know that? I smile and try to reassure both him and myself, feeling a little sorry for the kid since he has to deal with an alpha Victor. The kid doesn't have time to respond to my answer before Creed's in the car and bring the engine to life.

"Winnipeg, right?"

"Yea, and then you can drop me off at the Norwood Hotel."

"Damn, that's about a six hour drive."

"Sorry Birdy burdened you guys with me."

"No, it's okay. It's the least we could do." I reply before Victor can give out more sarcasm at the poor kid. I can already tell that Creed's thinking of all the places he could dump the kids body.

Its gunna be a tough ride.

Let's pray to god this kid isn't talkative.

Then again with my luck, he probably is.

_Goddamn it._

Doesn't help that the kid gets an excellent view down my shirt; so of course to try and prevent Creed from ripping out the kid's intestine and any of that I move my hair over the girls and hope it blocks his line of sight, silently hoping it works.

"Hey you like the band Three Days Grace?"

"Yea."

"Wanna use one of my ear bugs to listen?"

"Sure."

We're half way through one of their albums when the kid decides to ask us some personnel questions.

Of course, the first question he asks is for Creed.

"So, are you like, her dad or something?"

_This kid's dead meat._

"Or something." And to my surprise Victor laughs away the rude question and for some outlandish reason his hand welcomes itself over to my seat and calmly lays down just an inch from my knee. His neck twists so he can look back at the kid to show him his long canines, but before he can even open his mouth my hands on his face as I push his face forward to keep his face eyes, as well as his sharp fangs, directed towards the road.

"Don't get distracted, I don't want to end up in a ditch." This is a warped signal for the kid to change the subject before Victor can pull over and rip the kid from the cab and run him over with the truck.

Of course I am utterly ignored.

It's your own fucking funeral.

"So, how do you guys know Birdy?"

"Me and her go way back, I used to be one of her bosses." _Seriously_? This is one of those things I'm gunna have to ask about later, when the kid's gone.

"Sweet. Hey, I feel kinda rude about this, but what are your names?"

"Oh, I'm Rogue, and this is Creed." I decide to call introduce Victor as Creed 'cuz I know he'd get pissed off if the kid used his first name.

"Rogue?"

"Yea, it's a nickname my friends gave me."

"That's cool, I'm Owen." He holds out his hand so I grab it and give it a gentle shake and release it quickly before he thinks I'm trying to be intimate.

"Nice to meet you Owen."

"Hey, you guys mind if I try finding some stations on the radio?"

"Go right ahead." Victor's hand tightens a little around my thigh in a warning and my hand brushes against his as I try and massage it ever so slowly in tiny spirals to get his claws to retract.

Owen messes around with the dial with nothing but static to show for it in the first few minutes until he finds a station that plays rap rock and metal and I'm thankful in Owens case that it's not pop or rap.

We continue like this in silence for about four hours and then Victor finds a high way out of Ontario and into Manitoba and Victor speeds on a sixty mph going ninety. I think Owen thinks he's trying to kill us and I can sympathize.

Then we take a quick bathroom stop, at a gas station this time so Owen can piss 'cuz apparently he doesn't feel comfortable doing so in the middle of a forest.

Again, I can sympathize.

"_I __**fucking hate**__ this __kid_."

"Come on Vic, it's not much longer. Just a couple more hours, you're doing great." I try to calm him down and reassure him but he pulls away and turns till he's looking directly at me.

"Do you _see_ the fucking way he was _looking at you_? I mean for fuck's sake, do I have to _piss _on you to get him to stop?"

"Uh, I would kindly appreciate not being peed on today."

"_You_ know what I mean." And there he is with his hand back on my leg with his thumb stroking my jeans as it seems to pace back and forth. His anger's gone and I'm considering singing 'Hallelujah' when Owen walks out of the gas station and Victor's animalistic rage is back.

"This awesome, 'bout an hour more and it's back to the city."

"Is that where your parents are? In Winnipeg?"

"Eh, something like that. You guys got any family out here?"

"Yea, me and Creed are hunting down his family." And now we've finally finding civilization outside the windows of the truck as Creed continues at his treacherous speed ignoring speed limit once more.

"Oh, I see. Are you in high school?"

"Nope, graduated two and a half years ago."

"Oh… What colleges are you thinking about?"

"I haven't really looked at a lot of that stuff, I don't have much money and some asshole burned down my apartment so I'm kinda in a tight squeeze right now."

"Damn, that's sucks ass."

"Yea. You have no idea."

And it's back into silence for the next forty minutes with the bare buzz of the radio and the city life around us and it's about five thirty.

And then, of course, Owen asks the one question I _really_ didn't want to hear.

"So, Rogue, can I have your number?"

_Fuck._

_How do I get myself out of that one?_

_Think, fucking think!_

"Truthfully, I don't really have a cell phone with my small budget, and with the burned down apartment and all…" And, just my luck, the kid buys it and doesn't think that I'm not interested.

Which I most definitely _am not_.

"_Five more minutes_." Victor breaths quietly underneath his breath so Own wouldn't hear, clearly telling me that I won't have to hold Owen off for too long till we're at the hotel and I never have to see him again or answer any more of his annoying questions.

Not to mention being able to stop worrying for the kid's life.

Then again if Victor wanted to kill him right now I'd be all for it.

But hey, maybe I'm getting lucky and-,

"Rogue?"

_Shit_.

_Please, please, please not ask _that_ question._

"Could you please hand me the other ear bud?"

"Yea, sure." I toss him the ear bud and count my lucky stars, although hoping I haven't jinxed myself yet. And then Victor pulls over in front of the Norwood Hotel and now me and Vic _will never have to see him again thank you gawd_. The kid pops out of the cab and closes its door with a slam and walks up to the steps of the hotel, looking back at us and waving. Victor leans over me and rolls down the passenger window as me and him both wave with relieved smiles on both our faces. Owen turns and a guy his age runs up to him, who I'm guessing is one of his friends and…

The guy kisses him.

The guy kisses Owen.

And Owen kisses him back.

Full out tongue on tongue in public.

And the guy who's been staring down my shirt this entire time, is gay.

Me and Victor make it past the next street till we starting laughing hysterically with even more relief than before and we're both bright red and gasping for air with our heads down.

And Victor's hand is still on my leg.

For once in a while;

It feels kinda nice.


	10. Purfect

It's back to driving to who the hell knows where and every now and then I remember Owen and start laughing all over again. Victor's hand has finally come back to its usual spot on the steering wheel and in a weird pathetic way I miss it.

Haven't been with anyone in a while and I miss being intimate.

Gawd I'm desperate.

And for some random reason since the first time I've been in this car with Victor the car is filled with a feeling of 'calm before the storm' and Victor's acting all strange like he wants to ask me something.

Aw hell no.

I can really only think of one way to get rid of this awkward tension.

"Victor?"

"Yea Marie?"

"Wanta play a game?" He looks over at me and I meet his eyes.

"What kind of game?" His eyes betray his suspicion.

"Twenty questions. We each ask a question and take turns until we've both asked each other ten questions. Wanna play? You can go first."

"Why the hell not. Okay… What's your favorite weather?"

"Uh, okay. I like rain. What's your favorite color?"

"Don't have one. Any boyfriends?"

"No. Thank goodness. Any girlfriends?"

"Hell no… How many dead bodies have you seen?"

"… Personally speaking, as in with my own eyes..? One. Least favorite memory?"

"Too many to count. What do you mean 'personally speaking', is there any other way?"

"Yea, there is. Has to do with my powers. Most embarrassing thing about you?"

"Too embarrassing. What exactly's your power?"

"I'll only tell you if you tell me your embarrassment when I'm done, okay?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Okay…

My mutation is the ability to absorb some one's life energy and psyche of others when I touch them with my skin on theirs. Fancy words meaning that I basically take away a part of them and they become a part of me. Like, when I told you that I've only seen a one dead person with my own eyes. That cause, technically, through some else's memories, I've seen _thousands_. It's… Scary… But that only works with mutants, with the whole memories and stuff; I can also absorb some of their personality traits… But it also means I can take some of their powers… It's weird… 'Cuz once I've touched them they just float around in my head… But with humans it's a completely different story. If it's a mutant and I touch them for three seconds they pass out, but if I touch a human for three seconds they end up in a coma or die. I remember I couldn't control it. So when I heard about the 'cure' I ran off and got it in a hurry. But once my powers where gone… I was just… Missing, a part of me. The voices and the people I've absorbed stay, but their just whispers in the dark now… But I can feel my powers, and their coming back. They're stronger, I can feel them… And I can hold them at bay… Well, if anything I have to call them forth in the first place or something like that. The powers I stole are stronger too and I have a better grip on 'em. I feel better now. I control my powers and they don't control me.

"So what's the embarrassing thing about you?" I look at him as I see the curiosity in his harvest moon eyes and notice that we're not moving and that he's parked the car right in the middle of the dirt road.

"Dayum. Uh, only reason I want to tell you this is if I ever get real pissed off or I get… Nightmares or some shit."

"Uh huh."

"If you start scratching me behind the ear and a little it calms me down."

"Damn it, now I wanna try it."

"Don't even think of it."

"Fine. Who's your best friend?" His eye brows shoot up in surprise and I'm surprised too, I don't even know why I asked it.

"Hm. Uh, _you_ I guess. So, how many guys have you ever kissed?" He's smiling with mischief spelled out on his face and I blush and look at something behind him before closing my eyes and pretending he's not there and that this is one of my female friends I'm telling my secret too.

"Two guys. Ever. In the entire twenty one years I've been on this earth and I've only kissed two. Anyway, uh, how old _are_ you?"

"I already told you, I'm one hundred and sixty three. Ever gotten drunk?"

"Yea, and it was a fucking nightmare. Woke up with some random guy in an apartment complex I couldn't even remember going to. Not about to repeat it. Any gangs I should know about?"

"Naw, never really liked that type of stuff. But I wish I could've been more in the old fashioned mafia, that would've been fun. You kno how to fire a gun?"

"Yep, how many people do you estimate you've killed?"

"Kid, I've been in every U.S American war, it's impossible to know. How well do you know Logan?"

"Enough to know he likes strawberry milk. Which war was your least favorite?"

"World War Two. 'Nuff said. You know how you said that if you touch a human for three seconds you could kill them, what about killing a mutant?"

"Yea, I almost killed Logan once when I didn't have any control. He saved my life and sacrificed half his healing ability for me. What's one thing you're afraid of and why?"

"When I was real young and not all of my powers had manifested, my father would sometimes come home with two of his friends drop dead drunk. And they thought it was real fun to push my head underwater and keep it that way for a certain number of minutes. Well one night they keep my head under water way longer than usual. It could have been two minutes, five minutes, ten minutes, who knows. Well thanks to my healing ability, I didn't drown. Wait, that's a lie; I did drown, but I didn't die. And that's the worst part. I remember praying in my head over and over again just hoping I would die. Do you know what that feels like? Water in your lungs for ten minutes and never dying? Downright sucks ass. I remember when they finally pulled my head up they thought it was the funniest thing they'd ever done. I know for a fact that if I couldn't heal as fast as I do that would have pulled me back up dead. Kinda wish they had, would've spared a lot of pain. So, that's my fear. Drowning, 'cuz I know that it won't kill me."

I bring my hand over to his arm and massage it ever so slightly back and forth; he's looking way off in the distance, like he's in a dream. My hand flies up towards his face to push back a strand of hair behind his left ear, a trouble making smile on my lips as I use my nails to claw a little bit on the place behind and a little underneath his ear, close to his thorn like mutton chops.

I watch intently to see his reaction and he starts doing the one thing I thought he wouldn't.

He starts pushing and crooning his neck against my hand and his eyes are closed in peaceful serenity, one thing I'd never seen on his face as he slouches closer to me, his body seeming to beg for more attention.

Like a cat.

And there it is.

As I move my hand to rest underneath his chin; just barely, underneath my hand along his throat a slight vibration shakes his vocals as he…

Purrs.

Victor Creed the raging murderous animal is purring.

Like a cat.

A mother fucking cat.

So, in the mood to experiment, I take my other hand and put it down on the spot his belly button should be, and as my hand finds strong defending muscles and begin to itch at it with my nails as I did with his spot behind the ear, and just like I suspected he pushes up against my hand but with more pressure and strength from his torso. He starts to lay himself down to get within better reach of my hands as he pushes his shoulders to rest down on my lap and his head to rest down on my chest as I lean back against the passenger door so it's easier on his neck.

His 'purring', or whatever you wanna call it, is louder but he's stopped pushing up against me, content to be a lazy bum squishing me while I'm stuck in an uncomfortable spot. Vic's okay, but my back hurts against the car door and my legs are twisted all weird, so I'm gunna have to fix that.

"Vic, wait just one sec, okay?" He doesn't respond with words, but just kind of gives a breathy yawn as I push his body off of mine so I can reposition in the most comfortable and fastest way; which mean kicking my up and before I can hang my leg's down Victor ignores my hands pushing him up and instead pushes against them, and why lie? Victor's stronger than I am so he wins and collapses back on to me leaving my legs on either side of him. Only problem now is that my necks all bent up; I shift a bit and straighten up, but now my back hurts from the stupid uncomfortable car door. So, spotting Victor's trench coat, one he takes off every time he enters the car, crumbled up in a mess on the floor; so I grab it and stuff it behind my back as a pillow, knowing that this is probably the best it's going to get any time soon. At least Victor's happy.

Looking at him more closely now, since he's decided to lay his head in between my boobs, I'm starting to think he's asleep. He's utterly calm and dead weight pushing down on me and his breath comes in slowly. Then again I could be wrong…

"Victor, you awake?" His eyes close themselves tighter and his eye brows furrow and he reminds me of a little kid who doesn't want to wake up. So instead of waking up and getting off of me, he decides to turn over on his stomach, with his head tilted to the side and _officially_ between my boobs. So instead of slapping him off just for him to get pissed off I put both hands on either side of his face and scratch him along his scraping facial hair. A purr follows him even as he sleeps and his arms lying down on both sides of me start to squeeze around me ever so slightly hugging me in a drowsy embrace.

Great.

Fucking great.

This is gunna be _interesting_ when he wakes up.

Yippee.

With his face turned away I move my hands away from the sides of his face and instead move them to the back of his head, continuously massaging in the spirals as I was doing earlier, but in forty five minutes time my hands are tired and I stop, just curious to see what will happen. He continues a little bit in his present state, just stops purring and nuzzles his head as he tries to get more comfortable as the position he's in now seems to annoy him as he lifts his head and lays on the other side of his head a content sigh escapes his agape lips.

"Vic, I swear to gawd if it turns out that you're actually awake I will open up a bag of whoop ass on you, 'okay dokey' you over grown cat?" he doesn't answer and underneath his breath a light snore is on the horizon; speaking of horizon, I look outside only to be greeted by darkness, sun shouldn't be seen in about three to five hours. I try to make myself fall asleep and lay there with eyes shut and arms resting down on Victor's shoulders and upper back. I'm tired but I can tell I won't be falling asleep anytime soon, so I just lay there with Vic pinning me down.

"Gawd I hope you don't drool on me." I whisper to myself before I yawn into my hand only to put it back on its resting spot on Victor's back. I try falling asleep again and in a drowsy state of mind Victor starts whimpering and violently moving from side to side, eye brows furrowed as he hugs himself tighter to me as he wraps his arms around me from the gap between my lower back and the door and I see his claws growing before my eyes from either side of me as his up lip twitches and a get glimpses of his canines. He reminds me of Wolverine when I had just barely known him and tried waking him up from his nightmares and he stabbed me through his metal knuckle claws; and if Victor's anything like Wolverine's inner beast is, he can lose control of the beast in his sleep.

Shit.

"Victor, calm down it's okay, it's okay I'm here. You're gunna be alright, okay? I won't let nothing hurt you, nothing's gunna hurt you Victor, you're just dreaming. It's just a dream." It's not working and I can tell as he keeps thrashing about and I know I have to stop him before he loses it.

So, I start scratching him behind the ear again.

And after a couple minutes of that, whatever demons in his dreams he was fighting off, are dead and gone as the rumbling of his chest and throat as his purr comes back with a vengeance as his body shakes on top of me and he rolls over so I can get his stomach. And as I rub his stomach roughly he turns back over and I barely get my hand out of the way in time, since apparently he can't make up his mind. I'm scratching his sides near his stomach when without a warning he pushes himself forward and nuzzles the crook of my neck and his mutton chops are like sandpaper when all too suddenly I feel his tongue dip out and lick my neck as the thunder of his purring keeps going on like a motor boat.

This is going to be _**very interesting**_ when he wakes up.

And incredibly awkward.

But incredibly interesting.

…

_**IT'S BEEN FIVE FUCKING HOURS.**_

_**GAWDDAMNIT MOTHER FUCKER SON OF A BITCH ASS HOLE DICK FACE.**_

_**HATE YOU SO MUCH.**_

_**I WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE HELL FROM NOW ON.**_

Well, maybe not.

WHY CAN'T HE JUST FUCKING WAKE UP?

SWEAR TO GAWD I'MMA BOUT TA SLAP HIM SILLY IF HE DON'T WAKE UP SOON.

Eh, even I know I don't have the balls to slap Victor Creed when he's asleep.

But five fucking hours?

_Seriously_?

What _the_ fuck.

He owes me.

Big.

Especially since he started drooling on me three hours ago and by now a river of it is making a waterfall down my shirt and I'm gunna freeze later on because of it. But what's kinda weird, besides the situation as it already is, he's really warm, and that's just awesome since usually I'm freezing.

But that doesn't make him any less of an ass wipe.

Just makes him a giant human kitten with enough muscle under his shirt to use my bones as a tooth pick to his giant incisors who has giant prickly thorns strapped to the side of his head.

But then again, Wolverine's mutton chops are like weasels glued to his face.

So Victor's mutton chops could've been worse.

I plan on never letting him forget this.

Even when I'm a demented old lady with a thousand wrinkles and hundred and three cats with a motor scooter and a pack of beer; even then I will never let him forget this.

Mwahaha.

Uh oh, he's waking up.

I feel him beginning to move ever so slightly as underneath his own skin his muscles twist and turn only re-shape all over again and his arms untangle themselves around me and he holds them up on the car door behind me with his arms along the sides of me. He pulls himself up with eyes half open but held half closed with sleep as he leans over me and breathes heavily and the warm air hits me straight in the face and his face gets closer to mine, thick honey eyes gleaming with appreciation.

"Thanks, pup."

And with that his tongue slides out and he licks the very tip of my nose before moving away to stretch his sleeping muscles and yawn showing his impressive fangs, as I move quickly to sit up so he doesn't register that my legs had been wrapped around him. But of course, lucky me, he notices and one of his eye brows hitches up with a question as he watches me with interest. Me, I grab the end of my shirt and wipe it on my neck where his saliva is and I can't suppress a look of disgust as he smiles.

Yea, it's kinda awkward now, but not as bad as I pictured it.

But Creed's got this weird leer about him.

"So, uh, how'd you sleep?" I ask to break any more tension, but it just seems to cause more as his vocals let out a husky chuckle and he stays up right in his seat but turned completely to look directly at me like a kid with a stick poking a dead animal with curiosity.

"Good. _Very_ good. You?" His voice reminds me of freshly cut wood and how no matter how exact it may look it still has little strips of wood still stuck to it, that rough on all the edges feel. I'm fixing my hair a little here and there, trying to distract myself from him.

"Didn't sleep at all. Man I'm tired." I yawn and stretch a bit trying to get Victor's eyes off of me, but he still is, clearly not getting how uncomfortable he's making me.

He's like an animal.

A very _turned on_ animal.


	11. No Sex Without Blood

We find a camp ground and break in so I can use the shower, which is one thing I would like to do without worry about Victor poking his head in, but thankfully there's other women washing up too. It's not exactly the cleanest place on earth, but it's better than an ice cold stream or river.

"Hey, Marie."

"Uh, yea Vic?"

"Make sure to take a good long shower, okay?"

"Uh… Okay?" I know he can now tell how weird he sounds but I can tell this is something I don't want to ask a question about.

"See ya, be out in twenty minutes."

I step out and scamper off to the showers to get what's left of Victor's drool _the fuck_ off of me. I step into one of the shower booths and pull back the little plastic curtain and place my change of clothes on a small bench outside the shower area before stripping down to nothing and grabbing the soap, hotel shampoo and conditioner, and a shaving razor I stole from the dead woman.

The dead woman.

Gawd I hope this won't make me smell like her; 'cuz if Vic picks up on it, like he probably will, it might put images of killing me in his head. Then again these are the hotel stuff, so I should be pretty safe.

Hopefully.

I don't want to end up like her.

I try and focus my thoughts on Logan, just so I can get the lady from the hotel out of my head.

I miss Logan.

There's a missing spot in my chest that I used to think was because my powers were gone, but now that my powers are back, I know it's because Logan's gone. I remember the first time he left, when he ran off to find out who he was, so lost and looking for anyone who might've known him. That was different; he's told me he'd be back and gave me his dog tags as a way for him to always find me. But this time he just left and didn't give me any sigh that he'd be back, where last time he even brought his stuff with him this time he just left it.

He just left me.

Maybe I should be trying to get over it or something; the saying 'if you love something let it go' floats up to my mind but I push it away because he was never mine to love in the first place. I'm so beyond pathetic. It's just… I don't know. I really, truly, honestly, have no idea. I remember that one time when Logan came back and everything was all good and better and _normal_. Or as close as I've ever been to normal. And then he was gone. Everyone was gone. Cyclops, Xavier, Jean, Logan. But it had turned out that Xavier had been alive and had somehow kept alive all the people Jean had killed with the power of his mind and Cyclops was back. Jean was still dead though, but it was easier to mourn for her with the help of Xavier, and Cyclops needed the most help right then dealing with being used by his wife before she tried to kill him. But Logan was so far gone he had the chance of never to return.

And now Victor's my only way to get him back and I intend to.

I just want Logan back.

That's all I want.

And with new determination I step out of my shower and change into my 'clean' clothes and head back to the dirty pick up where I left Victor waiting.

I get in and something feels different.

Victor's shirtless with his hands behind his head and a cigarette in his mouth, watching me with little interest and seems pleased with himself. Now that I'm in the car he kills the cigarette and twists the keys in the ignition and backs out of the parking lot, and he's acting like he was before he fell asleep. Not all lusty and turned on.

Yea, I'm thankful. 'Cuz I know that if he really wanted to he could do whatever the hell he wanted to me and I would have little chance of defending myself against him.

Then suddenly it hits me why he's so much more relaxed.

"Did you just have sex?"

"Yep. How'd you know? You see the fresh blood on the sheets or something?" Fresh blood? I look back at the sheets and sure enough there's the blood staining the hello kitty blanket.

"Uh, no. Man, does everyone you have sex with have to die?"

"What do you mean 'everyone I have sex with dies'? For all you know she's the only person I've had sex with and killed."

"Well what about the girl at the hotel?"

"What makes you think I had sex with her?"

"Well, did you?"

"Point taken.

Hey pup?"

"Yea?"

"I got some bad news."

"Uh oh. What is it?"

"Okay, so just bare with me for moment and listen; I have this feral animal inside of me. And let's just say me and him are just about constantly fighting each off for dominance; now, usually I_ love_ to let him take the reins and see who ends up dead, but with you around I've been trying to remind him who's boss, because I don't want you to end up dead _or worse_. Remember how I was acting a little weird earlier?"

"Yea, all turned on and stuff?"

"Exactly, that's the thing. My animal _really_ likes you. And that's _**not**_ a good thing."

"Well, what do I do?"

"You? You don't do anything; I'm just trying to explain some of my past actions."

"Like the thing with Owen?"

"Yea, I'm territorial, like time when you wanted to drive and I wouldn't let you."

"Okay… So can should I not do around you?"

"Uhh, I don't really know. I guess you could remind me or something corny like that."

"Yea, I'll try…

"Victor?"

"Yea pup?"

"Umm, why does your animal like _me_? Just wondering."

"Okay, so basically my animal lives to sin. And truthfully I don't really have a problem with that. But right now you're just driving him crazy 'cuz I'm holding him back, and he doesn't like to be controlled, and _usually_, I don't have a problem with that.

_But right now you're starting to look like a __**perfect meal**__._"

"So he wants me, because he can't have me. Any ideas of what would happen if he did get me?" Why does that come out _so wrong_? Victor looks at me with his eye brows raised high in slight surprise.

"Well. I ain't exactly the one to answer that."

"Uh, great." I look out ahead into the waning darkness as the sky begins to blush before its fatal sunrise that will keep the night at bay for the many hours until it comes back. Without Victor to keep me warm and since my hair is still wet I've started shivering and try to keep warm as I pull my knees up to my chest and pull my jacket close.

"Pup?" I look over at him and his arm is held up resting on the car seat, his side left open for me to come and sit by him and steal some of his warmth. My eyes meet his and I try and tell him thanks without my mouth as I slide over on the giant one cushion seat and lean against him with my feet up on the seat where I once was and I snuggle close.

"Thanks Vic. Good night." His arm comes and wraps itself loosely around me and his hand rubs my stomach gently as I close my eyes.

"Good night Marie."

And the sun is alive.


	12. Lynx

**OHEMMGEE WUZ UP GUIS! LONG TIEM NO SEE! ****So, yes, I FINALLY updated.**

**I sincerly hope you all enjoy this as much as I hope you do.**

**(AND MWAHAHAGAGA THERE BE SOME FORESHADOWING!)**

**Love you all so much for the reviews! They are the heart of my getting through my writers block.**

**And along that note, enjoy ;D**

**...**

"C'mon pup, time to call your X-Men friends and tell 'em that yur not hurt or something."

I don't want to wake up from my meaningless dreams, but I know that what Victor says needs to be done; and we've waited long enough. I sit up, sincerely wishing I hadn't, but by ignoring my sore body I feel that it's the only thing to get me through this. Don't get me wrong, I do want to talk to some of my buddies at the Mansion, I just… I guess I don't know how. I love them and all, but I want to tell them about everything that's been going on, but I know I shouldn't. As I open the car door and make my way to the rickety gas station I prepare lies in my head.

We walk in and it isn't much of a relief from the brewing storm outside, but at least it isn't outside where the wind is far stronger than how she should be and the snow soon to come.

Victor talks a bit to the guy in charge, I don't understand their words and then slowly realize it's because they're speaking in French; the man gestures to the right and Victor looks that way before nodding and slipping five bucks forward.

The cashier points to the phone and I go towards, and slowly start dialing the number with my cold and sleepy hands with Victor at my side, watching me intently. As it rings I wait; it only takes him till the second ring and I hear the wisdom in his tone, just like his words. Professor Xavier.

"Hello Rogue, the other X-Men and I were starting to worry about you; especially Kitty and Jubilee. How are you faring since last we spoke?" His fancy words confuse my brain and I focus to make my words form and not sound like a complete idiot, being around Victor and his Basic English must've rubbed off on me.

"Huh, yea I'm good. Still working from the bottom to the top; or at least as far as the top will take me. How are things over at the Mansion? Any big news?"

"Things are good over here. Not much has been going on except a couple new recruits here and there."

"Hm? Well, the reason I'm calling is just to tell you that I ain't dead. So, tell everyone I'm okay and-."

"There's been no sight of Wolverine, Rogue. I thought you would like to know."

"Oh… Hey, uh… I gotta go and…"

"Rogue, now you know Kitty and Jubilee will not be happy to hear that you so easily turned down the chance to talk to them. Please, if only for a moment?" I sigh, but truthfully I would like to hear them, if anything just to make sure Creed didn't harm them in any way before my trip.

"Fine, go right ahead Xavier."

"Thank you Rogue, this will mean so much to them." A small 'click' as the line transfers before one of them answers.

"."

There's so much screaming and shifting of movement on the other side of the line that I hold the phone away from my ear and away from their sharp screams of joy. For a brief second I look at Victor to catch the expression on his own face, and am granted his uninterrupted pure shock in his cat eyes and they're clearly dwindling on the fear of happy teenage girls.

He looks so cute when he's scared.

I laugh a little and it catches him off guard and slight anger and agitation slide into the place of his former expression, as he tries to take control of his emotions, and takes to glaring at the phone.

I wait too for Kitty to calm down, hearing Jubilee yelling in her native tongue of Spanish in the background when Kitty's insistent voice becomes silenced and Jubilee affirms her control by talking to me in a clear, yet still excited, voice.

"Mi amiga, where hav you been? We've all been so worried about cho. Where are you now?"

"Hey Jubes, good to hear you. I'm way out in the middle of Canada, which isn't as fun as it sounds. How are things goin 'round the mansion?" I smile, ready for Jubilee to come at me with gossip pouring out of her ears.

"Oh my god! You will not believe what happened with Kitty and this guy. M'kay, well apparently, you know Piotr that sexy Russian guy? Well _apparently_ he has a thing for Kitty, and he totally took her aside last Friday, you know, when we all go out clubbing and shit?"

"Yea, I know."

"Well anyway, so he took her aside when Bobby was gone and whatever and he said that, not _only_ does he _like her_, but that _he loves her. _Isn't that just the cutest thing ever? They are so totally perfect for each other. I mean jesus, have you seen the way he acts around her on missions?"

"Not really, I haven't been on a mission with you guys for years Jubes."

"Oh, yea. Well anyway, he's anyways hanging around her and stuff and he always trying to protect her. _It is __sooo__ cute_."

"DAMNIT JUBES QUIT TELLING PEOPLE 'BOUT MY LOVE LIFE!" I heard Kitty wrestle back for the phone as with victory she had it back in her clutches, ready to let it spill.

"M'kay, so now that you know about all that; what should I do? 'Cuz he's acting like the whole thing never even happened, and I don't know what I should tell him, and I'm still with Bobby, and what if Bobby finds out? And GODDAMN IT HE HAS SUCH A NICE ASS." She suddenly brook off as she made a wail of frustration at the thought of her predicament.

"Kitty, calm down."

"WHAT THE FUCK SHOULD I DO?" A flinch ever so slightly as she screams this at me, only happy for not being at the mansion and having to deal with her like this all the time. Which only makes me pity Jubilee, that poor soul; although she has been known to swim in gossip like this for weeks on end relentlessly.

"Hell if I know; only guy I've ever been in a relatively steady relationship was when I was with Bobby." And then she's back to wailing on the other side of the line.

"Wait a sec Kit," I pull my eyes away from the ceiling to look back at Creed.

"Hey Vic, you got any ideas?" His face goes back to that worried state and I'm starting to think he'd rather chew off an arm just so he wouldn't have to ever deal with teenage drama like this.

"Don't even think about it Rogue."

"Vic? Who's 'Vic'? He's got a sexy voice-! DO YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND AND YOU'RE NOT TELLING US? Is he as smexy as he sounds? Ooh, I bet he is you little lynx! Me-ow!" This gets me steaming mad and I already feel my face start to blush like a stupid high schooler.

"_We are __**just**__ friends_."

"Oh _sure_ Roguey poo."

"One word: Piotr."

"OH FUCK YOU ROGUE."

"So do you like him or not?"

"GUH. I kinda like him, but I don't think it's as much as he likes me. What do I do about Bobby though? Cuz I think he might've seen us after Piotr told me… Well… you know…"

"That he loves you?"

"Yea. I mean, like… Me and Bobby have been together for so long…"

"If you like Piotr, and you wanna know what it'd be like if you were together, break up with Bobby. I'm sure he'd understand, and its way better to do that than what that ass hole did to me." I froze when I realized what I'd just said to her, mentioning the unvoiced rule that we never talked about Bobby cheating on me with her.

"Rogue, I'm still so sorry about tha-."

"Don't be. It was his choice to kiss you. S'okay Kitty."

"Do we even have to go over how awesome you are?"

"Shut it before I come back to New York and punch ya in the face."

"I miss you so much; I think I'd be okay with it."

"Don't compliment me, you never know when my powers are gunna come back."

_But it's so close I can feel it. _Can't let anyone know though.

Yet, anyway.

"Rogue, don't think like that."

"It's inevitable. Hey, I'll see you guys later, I gotta g-."

"And you know what this is like too, dating a guy when another one's interested. Remember how Bobby and Pryo used to fight over you and stuff? Man that must've been hard, since they were friends at that time. Right?"

"Kitty, hell are you talking about? Pryo never had a 'thing' for me. We were just friends, and even then sometimes we weren't."

"Girl yea right. You seem to saying that a lot lately; '_We're just friends_'. Migh-ty suspicious if you ask me Roguey. He even told me that he thought you were 'hot'."

"Kitty, _he's a pyromaniac_, not to mention a teenager; anything to him with boobs is '_hot_'. Anyway I gotta go, see you and Jubes later okay? Tell everyone I said 'hi'."

"GOOD BYE ROGUE!" I hear their voices mix as they bid me adieu as several 'miss you' and 'love ya' are thrown in. I hang up quickly; missing them as much as I do frightens me a little. I look to Victor.

"Time to go." My voice wavers and I feel like such a child as my eyes water up and I try not to look at him; but out of the corner of my eye I notice his jaw stiffens and his body becomes frigid.

He pays the cashier for letting us borrow his phone, putting two more bucks in the cashier's pocket, as we make our way back to the car. Once out of the store the wind and its power surprises me as it slaps me in the face with enough force that it whips away my tears and I burrow down in my jacket for any reminiscence of warmth.

Victor opens the side door for me, being ever the gentleman, a fixed mischievous smile in place.

"So is it true that I have a 'sexy' voice?" His eyes squint ever so slightly with an eye brow cocked and his smile widens to a positive Cheshire cat approach to his nature.

"Shut it Creed." I can't help but smile and shake my head. I hop in the car but before he closes the door he snipes at me in a way that doesn't leave me.

"If it makes you feel any better, I think you're 'hot' too.

"_Lynx_."


	13. Uh oh

"So you think Rogue's got a guy?"

"Jubes, without a doubt, she's in denial and _everything_. And sounds really sexy too."

"You know what this means we gotta do, right?"

"Definetly. How though?"

"I don't know. Let's just try sneaking down there, and if we get caught it probably won't be too bad since Logan's not here."

"Yea, Logan was always quick to the punishment."

"Little too trigger happy to be a teacher."

"Depends upon the teacher." They tried to stifle their giggles as they made their way hurriedly on bare feet down the halls of the Xavier Institute, both humming James Bond's theme song. The pitter patter of the pair's feet became louder that drums in the silence. Both were relieved when they got to the elevator that led them down to cerebro and the large computer data base below the ground.

They ran parallel to one another as they swiftly made their way to the aforementioned newly built in computer room, complete with everything one might need to track someone's identity. Luckily for the two the door had been left unlocked, which at first they would have found it to be odd, but now the X-Woman were too focused on their mission to pay attention to minor details like that.

Jubilee logged in and opened up the recording document as Kitty watched with awe, amazed that the younger X-Men knew more about the data base than herself.

"How do you know all this anyhow?"

"Don't tell me you weren't paying attention when Professor Xavier went over this."

"Well, _sorry_."

"I understand chica if you were distracted by Piotr's nice shiny ass."

"_Shut up_. We're here to find out about Rogue's guy. _Not_. _Me_."

"Whatever you say mi amiga." Finally Jubilee had found the phone call in the record book and by double clicking it had opened it and had started to play. Kitty took control of the mouse and dragged it across the time line of the phone call to find the part where she believed she had heard the so called 'Vic' speak to Rogue in the background.

"_**Don't even think about it Rogue."**_

"Man, he does have a sexy voice. Our girls got a good catch."

"What'd I tell ya?" Jubilee highlighted the section where it played between the timeline and dragged it over to the sound search and voice recognizer on the other document. Once the sound clip they had has in the search box they clicked the '_find_' and the computer began its strenuous task of locating the speaker's identity.

They waited with boredom as the computer took it's time .

But finally their patience was rewarded.

"Damn, that guy is one fine piece of meat."

"Hell yea, we need to get him a job at play girl magazine: lumberjack addition."

"This guy looks like he could rival Wolverine on the drop dead sexy scale."

"Without a doubt chica. I'd love to see those two have a pillow fight." They turned to each other and high fived while trying to contain their laughter at the idea that had been proposed, faces blushing at the mere thought of such a pillow fight.

"M'kay, says here that his name is Victor Creed. Has worked on and off with the military."

"YOU CRANK DAT SOLDIER BOY!" The two sang while looking at some of the other information on the profile of 'Victor Creed'.

"Says he goes by other aliases like 'El Tigre', umm sexy beast much? And…? How the hell do I pronounce this? Dur Shlatchan? Dur Schlacer? Dur Schlancanter?

"Der Schlächter. Sounds German or something, let's ask Nightcrawler 'bout it in the morning." They continued to read various things about 'Creed', their eyes beginning to widen.

"_In 1968 Victor Creed used the alias 'Sabretooth' and worked as a mercenary assassin in Saigon and is held responsible for the murder of certain prostitutes and countless others._"

"_Reportedly over the age of 150 years old due to his healing factor._"

"_Fought in the American Civil War, both World Wars One and Two, and supposedly the Vietnam War._"

"_Said to have killed over millions of people in his unnatural life time._"

They froze as with transfixed eyes watched the screen, trying to read every possible amount of information on the screen, trying to understand a man they couldn't.

"Victor Creed is '_Sabretooth_'. _The_ Sabretooth."

"As in mass murderer remorseless killing machine Sabretooth."

"We gotta tell someone."

"Rogue's in danger."

In the background of their frenzied thoughts the recording played again and again.

"_**Don't even think about it Rogue."**_

"_**Don't even think about it Rogue."**_

"_**Don't even think about it Rogue."**_

They run from the room and up to Scott Summer's room, to let him know of what they've found.

…

"SCOTT GAWDDAMNIT IF YOU DO NOT OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR RIGHT THIS FUCKING SECOND I SWEAR TO GAWD IMMA GUNNA BLOW IT UP! SO OPEN IT THE FUCK UP!" Jubilee is in the hall screaming her lungs out, her hands already beginning to spark as her anger builds up. She's just about to slam her fist into the door when it unexpectedly opens and Summers is standing in the doorway, eyes wide open with drool on his face.

"What the _fuck_ could you possibly want at this hour?" He's got that nerve wracking look in his eyes and he's twitching ever so slightly; it's kind of creepy and it makes the girls reluctant to answer.

"Who is it babe?" Emma Frost appears behind Cyclops, hugging him as she peers around to see the two teenagers frozen by the sight of her hubby's disheveled state. She could feel the thoughts blaze their trail from their mind to her own as she inadvertently read their minds.

"So some 'Rogue's in trouble?" Scott turned to her, his eyes suddenly worried for the former X-Man.

"Wait, _what_?"

…

"So you think this Sabretooth guy kidnapped Rogue, had him call you guys just to force her to tell you guys that she's fine so we won't go looking for her. But while you're talking to her she tries to ask him a question, to which he responds: 'Don't even think about it', meaning he doesn't want us to find out about him being there, but with him saying that, we _do_ know he's there, listening in on her conversation. Or the 'Don't think about it' is him telling her not to tell us about her being kidnapped, right? And we know he kidnapped her how?"

"Scott, its _Sabretooth_."

"Yea, believe it or not; the name of the person doesn't count as evidence Kitty. What's this guy's _real_ name anyway?" He looked over at the computer screen, only for his hidden eyes to widen.

"_Shit_… Emma, look… It's _HIM_…"

"…_Oh my god_…"

"Qué?" Asked Jubilee, with brows furrowed and a frown of concern on her face with Kitty by her side mirroring the same expression; both completely unaware of what Scott and Emma knew this man to be.

"It's a long story." Scott looked to them with crushed hope fresh on his face.

"I may not have known your friend, Rogue, but I assure you that it's very well possible you two may never see her again if she is with _HIM_."

"Well _fuck_."


	14. Stand

**I spoil you guys**

**TWO CHAPTERS IN A SINGLE DAY?**

**But due to my long absence I feel you all deserve it ;]**

**And don't worry, next chapter we find out what Xavier thinks 'bout the situation at the mansion**

**NO I am NOT talking about that tan pervert who can't stay in his own pants from new jersey**

**though that would be an entertaining idea**

**Anywho, hope you all enjoy**

**...**

I knew he'd do this.

Act like _nothing_ happened.

Act like he didn't say that he thought I was 'hot'.

Or that he called me 'lynx'; although I do gotta admit I kinda like it.

But, whatever.

Let's all just pretend _nothing_ happened.

'_Cuz that's the __**manly**__ way._'

It's all quiet in here, not the unwelcomed kind of awkward quiet. Just no talking or anything. Which is awkward… for me anyway, I'm pretty sure Victor doesn't even notice it. Probably brings him back to the days when he didn't have to deal with me here.

Although really, he's never quite _complained_ about me coming along; except that one time he drove three days straight and wouldn't let me 'cuz he thought I'd run away or something like that.

Which was ridiculously stupid by the way.

But I don't think that _really_ counts as complaining. I dunno.

Vic immediately breaks me from my current train of thought when he asks me something.

"Wanna play that twenty questions game again?"

Weird; I thought he hated that game.

"Sure. You wanna go first?"

"Okay… When you touch a person, and absorb their power, does their power just stay with you.. For good?" He looks over at me briefly before turning his gaze back to the road.

"Depends on how long I've touched them; then they just kind of float around. Any kids?"

"Not that I know of. Wait, _who_ floats around?" He's back to looking at me.

"Um, their personalities. Favorite animal?" I look at him, just not in the eye.

"Cat," I raise an eye brow and can't help but look into his eyes.

"What? I identify most with 'em." He suddenly gets a very serious look on his face as he realizes it's his turn to ask me a question. It makes me anxious.

"Do… I don't kno… Do you miss being with the X-Men?"

"'Course I do. They really welcomed me in, and it actually felt like home… For a little while anyway.

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Hm? Jus curious to see if you'd go back to them since you're powers are coming back." I take that into consideration, mulling it over in my head, having never really thought about it before.

"I don't think I could.

It's a nice place with nice people and friends and stuff. And I guess if I did go back I could be one of the teachers or something; and being an X-Woman or whatever was pretty cool. But I really don't think I could. You know, believe it or not there is a reason my mutant name's _Rogue_.

"And with how my power is? I don't want to accidently hurt anyone.

And I just don't fit in with them quite as I used to.

I have different ideals and things than just spending my time as a super hero. Not like any of the stuff they do will actually amount to anything; and I'm not just saying that because a part of Magneto's stuck in my head.

At the end of the day humankind still hates us; nothings gunna change that.

People will still hate People.

And it sucks because there probably will be a war about it someday. And it doesn't matter what side wins, it's just another Pyrrhic victory for the history books; because it's just gunna stay the same.

Sure, it will change; for better or worse.

But something as simple as 'hate' will still be alive.

And when one person hates; it can multiply among millions.

Hell, I bet you know that better than anyone Victor."

"Heh, yea; I do kid."

And it's quiet all over again.


	15. Liar Liar

It was three in the morning, and Charles Xavier didn't want to be awake.

Sure, he usually woke up at six in the morning anyway; but those extra three hours could work wonders for a man of his age and stature, especially right now.

Jubilation's screaming had woken him up, if not half the mansion.

But really, what could he come to expect living in a house full of teenagers?

In certain ways, he was just asking for it.

_But __**three**__ in the __**morning**_?

Could it really haven't have waited until seven?

So with great remorse Xavier lifted himself from his bed and slid into the wheel chair beside his bed, opening the door and pushing the wheels of the chair with nothing more than the power of his mind.

He really wanted a cup of coffee, just knowing he wouldn't be getting anymore sleep, but found himself unable to; sensing that his presence was needed and would be greatly appreciated by the four pupils that were below ground in the tunnels where the computer data base centre was located; of course using some of his mutant ability to speed things up a bit, such as making his chair move faster and the elevator arriving earlier on time.

Once below he made his way hurriedly to the aforementioned data base, trying desperately to prepare himself for the onslaught of chaos that was surely ahead.

And he's right.

Then again; he's _always_ right.

Jubilee and Kitty are accompanied by Scott and Emma; and when he enters the room they all look to him with expressions of clear worry and fear, Jubilee and Kitty's faces become relaxed and relieved when they see me and are under the wing of his fatherly gaze. But with Scott and Emma things are quiet different, and although they do become slightly relieved with his certain help to their cause, they know that the storm is arising and grows hues of strong darkness.

Within those few seconds of his arrival he reads the outward current of their thoughts; instantly understanding their fear, and knowing that it is needed.

"What is going on?" He doesn't actually have to ask, but feels it is necessary, and refuses to delve into their minds any further, besides he only did so accidentally.

"_**Professor**_! Rogue's in _trouble_ and we _don't know what to do_ and she's with some _Sabretooth_ guy and he's gunna _kill her_ and there's _nothing _we can do about it…_What do we Professor_…?" Kitty quickly says.

He watches her, as well as the others, with a sense of ease.

Professor Xavier knows what to do in this scenario.

For there are few occasions of which he does not.

"Katherine, don't worry, our young Rogue shall be fine." The small group of gathered X-Men look at me with eyes wide, worry still etched upon their faces, doubt along with it as well. Scott, the known leader of the X-Men, comes forward to speak in detail with me of what precisely is going on, stating the oblivious of what will come to term.

"Professor, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but we have reason to believe she may not be as safe as you think she is considering whom she's with right now," He gestures to the screen "I think we might have to send some people to check up on her and make sure that she's okay." I survey the screen myself, and see the file of a 'Victor Creed', better known by most as the beastly Sabretooth; a man feared by most who know him, although most times not personally. He has certainly left a bad mark on some of the X-Men who have known him one time or another, two of them being in my presence.

"Emma, Scott: I know that you two have a notable past with this 'Sabretooth', but that does not mean that Rogue is within danger at the hands of this man-."

"Do you even know what he's capable of Xavier? Do you have any idea of the horrors he's committed and how many lives he's taken, not to mention the lives he's ruined?" I look at the tortured Emma Frost and consider her outburst; I feel a pang of hurt within knowing that I hadn't saved her from that god awful camp soon enough to spare her of the disgusting experiments they pulled on her. She sees the sorrow in my eyes and her own sapphire eyes soften if only the littlest bit as her own mind reading abilities pick up on some of my own thoughts.

"I know that he's done some terrible things in the past, but let's not judge him solely on old mistakes he has. That's why I would like to check in on Rogue myself telepathically to insure her safety and to ask her if she is in fact in need of help or assistance." I announce my decision to the group, giving time for them to object, seeing that they agree I begin to move my wheel chair with my mind and make my mind to Cerebro, all of them following me in pursuit to see if Rogue's life truly is in danger.

Once I've entered the room and am attached to the proper head equipment, I glance back at all of them, one eye brow raised at Scott in a look of question and he brings the group away to wait outside of Cerebro. Mean while I'm inside working to pin point the exact location of our lady of the hour, looking for that old residue of her mutation DNA code as the image before me zooms in from millions of miles away on a old truck moving seven miles an hour and goes even closer to the point where I'm inside of that very same truck, floating close to the occupants of the vehicle.

I focus on Rogue's mind and enter without problem, making her aware of my presence.

Greeting her with profuse apology I begin to question her.

…

We're driving pretty slowly it feels like, too average of a speed for me, so I add a little bit more pressure on the gas pedal, eyes slinking to my right to see if the pup even notices when my head turns to her fully taking in the weird expression she's got on her face and a get a bad vibe clawing at my spine as her body language suddenly changes completely.

This, my friend, is not a good sign.

"Lynx, what's wrong?" I can feel someone else is here with us, can practically smell the expensive cologne on them and the shoe shine on their five hundred dollar shoes. Rogue looks up at me, her green eyes wide but her pupils are dilated, it's obvious something's surprised her. She doesn't answer me and just raises up her left hand in a 'stop' motion while her other hand flies up to her right temple as her eyes stay glued to me as her body swivels to face me.

She's not really looking at me as her eyes slip down to my chest, focusing on little details like the dog tags around my neck, eye brows are furrowed and eyes narrowed in concentration. Her body is rigid and her spine as straight as a stick as her shoulder square in around her petite frame.

I can tell she suddenly gets the understanding she wanted as her eyes go back to my face, and she's focused intently on something inside as she pulls her feet up on the seat with her back to the car door.

But I'm watching her with pupils turned cat slit and nervous yellow as I wait for my answer as her green eyes flitter to look outside as I look ahead as well and slow down the car as we come to a stop.

"Professor, don't worry.

I'm fine.

Yes, I'm here on my own free will.

No, he hasn't hurt me.

Yes! I'm fine.

Well that's kinda interesting. I'll do that.

Damn, if I didn't know any better I'd of thought…

Wait… Never mind.

Yea, yea. I know. I'll let you know if I need help.

But I can take care of myself you know. Jus sayin.

Well, see ya. Take care now. Tell everyone I said 'hi' and that I miss them.

Bye Professor."

My eyes are just about falling out of my head as she finishes her goodbyes to her imaginary companion.

"What the _fuck_ was that?" I demand as she looks back to me.

"What was 'what'?" How the hell can she be surprised at my reaction?

"_That_. You just had a complete conversation with yourself. Is there something you forgot to tell me? Do the voices tell you to kill people? 'Cuz if they do, then hun I'll take you to the nearest 7-11 and give you a gun to relieve whatever 'tension' you have goin on if it makes it any better." Now her eyes are wide and an eye brows raised so high it could disappear into her hair line.

"… Okay…" Does no good, she's still surprised. Then, without warning her face alights with recognition.

"Oh! I get it. You mean the conversation between me and Professor Xavier."

"… Yea…? So what just happened?"

"Professor's a telepath and he was just checking to make sure that I'm okay. 'Cuz apparently there was some sort of scare back at the mansion and everyone freaked out. Something along the lines that they think you're gunna kill me. So I told him you said you wouldn't kill me and that I'm with you by my own choice and all that jazz. And he said he understands and that he'll tell everyone to calm down."

"Oh, okay." A memory of something she said during that 'conversation' between her and that Professor guy flashes into memory and her voice replays in my head.

'_Well that's kinda interesting. I'll do that.'_

"So what's that 'interesting' thing you and the Professor were talking about?" My eye brows furrow as I watch her closely from the corner of my eye, waiting for a slight change in expression.

And there it is.

Her forest eyes twitch ever so slightly and her hand goes to pull a white tangle of hair behind her ear.

"Oh, just some mansion drama going around that he wanted to know if I knew anything about." She smiles after her statement and her eye brows go up slightly and her eyes narrow with the smile as she plays the smile off as a natural one, but it's too late.

I've spotted her lie.

"Hey, Victor?" There's a tremor in her voice.

"Yea Lynx?" If I had turned to look at her right now I would have seen tears starting to gather at the corner of her navy green eyes, but I don't.

"_Sorry_."

Before everything goes black I hear my neck snap as she kicks it.


End file.
